Urban fighting heightens risk of civilian casualties

BAGHDAD The fear of causing civilian casualties and getting drawn into a bloody urban fight in Ramadi is pushing Iraqi forces to wage a slow offensive to retake the city from the Islamic State despite an overwhelming advantage in number of fighters.

To limit civilian deaths, the military aims to methodically squeeze militants from the outskirts instead of launching a massive assault into the heart of the Sunni city, which had a population of 400,000 before most residents fled.

“The urban terrain battles are among the most difficult,” said Brig. Gen. Yahea Resool, a spokesman for Iraq’s Defense Ministry. “We are not in a hurry.

“The forces who enter cities have to be highly trained,” Resool said.

The U. S.- led coalition supporting the Iraqis with airstrikes estimates 250 to 300 militants remain holed up in Ramadi. They face 10,000 troops that include army and counterterrorism units, Shiite militias and national police.

A small number of committed militants can wreak havoc on a much larger force. They can position snipers, rig booby traps in buildings, plant roadside bombs on streets and use car bombs, Resool said.

The militants will attempt to use civilians who remain as human shields, he said. “We have to protect civilians,” he said.

Ramadi, less than 100 miles west of Baghdad, fell to the Islamic State in May. Last week, the Iraqi government announced the start of its long- promised offensive to take it back.

The propaganda- savvy militants, who frequently distribute video of their brutality, may want to draw Iraqi forces into a bloody street fight.

Ramadi is the first major urban battle Iraq’s forces have faced since the Islamic State seized parts of the country last year. Iraq took back the city of Tikrit in April, but it is much smaller than Ramadi, and there were few civilians.